The situation has become so dire that vendors are having to compete with the rest of the state for the meagre remaining crop yields from key areas of Central NSW and the Sunshine Coast.

Tamworth's Paradise Farm Markets owner Brendon North told the Leader farmers simply hadn't been able to sow crops because the soil had been saturated to the point of being useless.

"They couldn't plant the seedlings that would have been maturing for harvest now," he said.

He said the wet conditions meant mold and mildew ruined some of the crops that did take root.

Residents have been digging deeper into their pockets to fork out for their fruit and veg, particularly when it came to leafy favourites like lettuce and cabbage.

As a lettuce grower himself, Mr North said the root cause behind the crop loss was unambiguously climate change.

"That's going to be an increasing concern from now on - not just the next year or five years," he said.

"This is a 50-year problem and it's going to get worse ... it's been on my radar for 20 years."

READ ALSO:

Vendors must bear the burden of the cost while still keeping prices attractive to shoppers.

While fruit and vegetables remain on the shelves in supermarkets and at smaller independent operators, the cost of keeping them there has been eye-watering.

With so many people competing for the shrunken supply, Mr North said stock was available but only in short supply and at a higher price.

Mr North said cabbages had increased in cost for him from $3 to $10, while silverbeet had also more than tripled in cost from $2 to $7.

With rain hanging around the Sydney area, he feared the impact could continue until September.

Products brought up from Victoria are helping fill grocery carts but supplies are being burnt through quickly.

"Victoria would grow 20 per cent of the supply for this time of year," Mr North said.

"They're still growing 20 per cent, they've got the 20 per cent because they haven't had the rain, but that 20 per cent is trying to supply most of the east coast."

Mr North said a possible solution could be to spread the growing area out across a greater space, rather than concentrating it, to limit the risk.

"But, I can't see that ever happening," he said.

"It's a massive effort by governments to do that, and economics will always win."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: